The New York Times recently published the article “Online Hiring Tools Are Changing Recruiting Techniques,” and in it, they feature a wide spectrum of advice, most of it for bigger budget firms.
One key feature trending in the post are the online recruiting tools. They’re popping up all over the place, aren’t they? My advice to organizations is buyers beware. Most of the online tools can indeed help, but in truth, require a solid knowledge of how to use them effectively to meet recruiting goals. If the expertise isn’t there, companies can spend a small fortune investing in various online recruiting systems and having little or no success. How so?
For starters, placing an online ad may provide a plethora of applicants, but are they the right ones? Did the job description have enough information and key words to attract right applicants? It’s been our experience when companies have a surge in hiring demands, they have a knee-jerk reaction. Many times it’s due to the lack of staff to manage the hiring demands. The process starts with a weak job description because management isn’t entirely clear what they want. In return, the HR department spends money posting jobs, filters through hundreds of applicants, interviews at least a dozen or so candidates and then end up hiring the wrong candidate. The cost to recruit and hire one candidate alone is indeed an expense, but hiring the wrong employee can turn out to even more costly.
Bigger budget firms, like Opower, may have the knowledge and budget to manage systems like the one mentioned, Recruiter, LinkedIn’s high-end online recruiting tool. I would hope anyone spending the whopping 50K+ mentioned would be able to maximize those tools. It’s been our experience, however, that most companies don’t have that kind of capital to invest, especially in this economy. And online tools offered by networks like Linked In are changing so rapidly it’s incredibly hard to stay ahead of the learning curve to truly get your dollars’ worth.
My advice?
In a market like this, where demand can spike and then lull, it’s important to take calculated steps. Become very strategic and extremely proactive. Get to know these tools on a basic level, but trust the most fundamental tool of basic networking; on and off online. Partner with associations and organizations to simplify your recruiting process. The more you have these key fundamentals in place, the less challenging your hiring surges will be.
Hire smart.
Ingrid
Ingrid J. Moore is the CEO of Corporate Resources Inc. & CRI Temporaries, an employment agency with over twenty-five years’ experience, providing permanent placement and supplemental/temporary needs for small to large-sized businesses.
